Probe of Tampa cop wins Cortnee Brantley more time to appeal

TAMPA — A federal appeals court Friday granted Cortnee Brantley more time to file a brief outlining her case, a delay sought by her attorney after a detective who helped convict her became the subject of a grand jury probe.

Brantley, ex-girlfriend of cop-killer Dontae Morris, was sentenced in June to a year in prison for failing to tell authorities that Morris was a felon with a loaded gun. She has been free on bail.

Former Tampa police Det. Eric Houston, who testified at her trial, supervised the crime scene after two police officers were shot during a 2010 traffic stop.

He was recently dismissed amid a federal probe over conduct that police Chief Jane Castor called "egregious" but has not been publicly disclosed.

Assistant U.S. Attorney David P. Rhodes opposed the 30-day delay, noting that it would be Brantley's fourth. Defense attorney Grady Irvin told the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals that questions about Houston's credibility could affect the case.